South Bend, Ind. – The No. 12/14 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team meets No. 15/15 Notre Dame in a highly anticipated early-season matchup Saturday at 8 p.m. in South Bend, Ind. This will be the second consecutive game for the #Seawolves against a 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifier.

Last Time Out

Stony Brook (2-0) earned its first shutout in program history, 13-0, against Monmouth Wednesday afternoon at LaValle Stadium. The Seawolves’ lockdown defenders held Monmouth to one shot on goal, which senior goalie Frankie Caridi saved. Junior Michelle Rubino led the offense with seven points on four goals and three assists, and Kristin Yevoli netted a hat trick and controlled a game-high four draws. Rookies Dorrien Van Dyke and Alyssa Guido chipped in two goals apiece as freshmen accounted for seven of Stony Brook’s 13 goals. Junior Amber Kupres also recorded two goals. Five different Seawolves scored in the first half to put Stony Brook in front, 5-0, at the break. The offense surged in the second stanza with an eight-goal effort, and the defense remained stellar to secure the win.

Scouting the Irish

Notre Dame sits at 1-1 on the young season after a win over Cincinnati Feb. 12 and a loss to then-No. 17 Boston College Feb. 15. Junior Caitlin Gargan leads the team in points with 11 on six goals and five assists, and freshman Cortney Fortunato has recorded five goals and three helpers. Sophomore Rachel Sexton has an Irish-best seven goals. Junior Allie Murray has started both games in net and has posted a goals-against average of 7.60 and save percentage of .368.

Series History

This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Irish Ties

First-year assistant coach Jill Byers was arguably the best women's lacrosse player to suit up for the Fighting Irish. The 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist was a four-time All-American and graduated as the all-time leader in goals (262), points (336) and draw controls (154). She spent last year on the sidelines for her alma mater as an assistant coach.

Courtney Murphy's brother, Steve Murphy, played in all 63 games during his four-year career in South Bend.

Dorrien Van Dyke and Brooke Gubitosi were high school teammates of Notre Dame freshman Cortney Fortunato at Northport.

Tweetables

Below are notes in 140 characters or less about the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team. Feel free to share them with your followers, and be sure to follow @SBAthletics for all the news and notes on Stony Brook athletics. You can also follow the women's lacrosse team at @StonyBrookWLAX and head coach Joe Spallina at @JoeSpallina. Engage in the conversation using #Seawolves and #TheHunt.

1. This is the first meeting between @StonyBrookWLAX and Notre Dame. #Seawolves #TheHunt2. .@StonyBrookWLAX is looking for its 2nd-ever win over a ranked opponent. The #Seawolves beat No. 20/17 JHU in 2012. #TheHunt3. This is the 2nd consecutive game for @StonyBrookWLAX vs. a 2013 NCAA Tourney qualifier. #Seawolves #TheHunt4. The #Seawolves earned their 1st shutout in program history, 13-0, vs. Monmouth Wed. #CantPassCaridi #DFENCE5. Rubino recorded 7 points vs. Monmouth #TheRubinoShow #Seawolves

Movin’ on Up

Stony Brook earned its highest preseason ranking, No. 12, in the IWLCA Coaches Poll. The Seawolves are currently 12th in the coaches poll and 14th in the Brine Media Poll.

First Impressions

Freshmen combined for 62 percent (16 of 26) of Stony Brook’s points against Bucknell. Freshman attacker Courtney Murphy’s seven goals tied former America East Players of the Year Demmianne Cook, Claire Petersen and Kaitlin Leggio for the second-most goals in Stony Brook single-game history. For her efforts, she picked up WomensLax.com National Rookie of the Week honors. Rookie midfielders Dorrien Van Dyke and Kristin Yevoli turned heads as well, recording five points and three points, respectively. Freshmen Samantha Jaffe, Elizabeth Pellechi and Kaitlin Leahy also saw their first collegiate action. Against Monmouth, the rookies scored seven of the Seawolves’ 13 goals, giving them 20 of Stony Brook’s 31 goals on the young season.

DFENCE

The Seawolves have surrendered just one goal in 2014 and posted the first shutout in program history, 13-0, against Monmouth Wednesday.

#CantPassCaridi

The nation’s leader in goals-against average and save percentage last season, goalie Frankie Caridi returns to the field for her senior season. Caridi was named a 2014 ILWomen.com Preseason All-American and is a two-time first-team all-conference selection. She anchored a Stony Brook defense that set a Division I record for goals-against average (5.65). She was fantastic in the Seawolves’ opener, stopping nine shots and allowing one goal. She caused two turnovers and made one save in Stony Brook’s shutout of Monmouth Wednesday.

#TheRubinoShow

Junior midfielder Michelle Rubino is the Seawolves’ leading returner in goals (34), draw controls (57) and points (46). She enters her third year as a starter already fourth on Stony Brook’s all-time draw control ledger with 152 career draws. She recorded a hat trick and an assist against Bucknell and a game-high seven points on four goals and three helpers against Monmouth. She is one point shy of reaching 100 points for her career (72 goals, 27 assists).

#KeepItUpKupres

Junior midfielder Amber Kupres was fourth on the team with 31 goals and netted a hat trick in the Seawolves’ win over Towson in the NCAA Tournament. Kupres scooped up 41 ground balls last year, the ninth-most in Stony Brook single-season history. She recorded two goals, three ground balls and three caused turnovers in a balanced effort against Monmouth.

Kiss the Ring

Stony Brook reached incredible heights in 2013. The Seawolves won their first America East title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Towson, 8-6, in the first round. They cracked the top 10 in both major polls for the first time in program history, rising to as high as seventh in the media poll. Former star and current volunteer assistant coach Demmianne Cook led the nation in goals (90) and goals per game (4.5) and became Stony Brook’s first Tewaaraton nominee and second All-American, while senior goalie Frankie Caridi topped Division I in goals-against average (5.71) and save percentage (.530). Caridi anchored a scoring defense that broke a Division I record for goals-against average (5.65).

Envelope, Please…Freshman attacker Courtney Murphy grabbed WomensLax.com National Rookie of the Week and America East Rookie of the week honors following a spectacular performance in her first collegiate game Saturday against Bucknell. Caridi, a 2014 Preseason All-American who picked up a league-leading four Defensive Player of the Week honors last season, received her first nod of the year for her nine-save effort.

The Seawolves return 17 starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s squad. ILWomen Preseason All-American goalie Frankie Caridi picked up her second consecutive first-team all-conference honor after shattering the America East record for goals-against average (5.71). Joining Caridi in the backfield will be sophomore lockdown defenders Alyssa Fleming and Maegan Meritz. Fleming made 19 starts and picked up America East All-Rookie and second team all-conference accolades. The Seawolves welcome back three of their top five goal scorers in junior midfielder Michelle Rubino (34 goals), junior midfielder Amber Kupres (31 goals) and senior midfielder Emily Mercier (28 goals).

Fresh Faces

Stony Brook women’s lacrosse head coach Joe Spallina has brought in a class of 15 newcomers, including 14 freshmen, for the 2014 season. The accomplished group features six student-athletes who have previously been named All-Americans, five selections to ESPN’s Watch List and multiple state champions and team captains. Graduate student and midfielder Jenna Davis is the lone transfer. The former Princeton starter and Division Avenue High School star will use her fifth year of eligibility after leading the Tigers to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2013.

Miss All-America

Senior goalie Frankie Caridi was named to ILWomen.com’s preseason All-American third team.

The architect of Stony Brook’s meteoric rise to national prominence, Joe Spallina returns for his third season as head coach. Under his direction, the Seawolves ran the table in league play, won their first America East championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013. Their 8-6 triumph over Towson in the NCAA First Round was their school-record 17th victory of the season. SBU remained in the national rankings in both major polls all season and cracked the top 10 for the first time in school history.

In his first season in 2012, the Seawolves completed the biggest turnaround in the NCAA and defeated a nationally ranked opponent for the first time in program history when they downed No. 20/17 Johns Hopkins on March 3. They attained their first-ever national ranking the next week: No. 19 in the deBeer Media Poll.

He came to Stony Brook after a successful run as head coach at Adelphi, a Division II institution, where he produced a dominant 73-2 mark and an NCAA-record three consecutive national crowns.

Spallina also coaches the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse and was named Coach of the Year in 2012.